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WORLD NEWS Thursday 31 March 2022
El Salvador forces encircle neighborhoods in gang crackdown

MARCOS ALEMÁN vadorans, this broad state
SAN SALVADOR, El Salva- of emergency is a recipe
dor (AP) — Security forc- for disaster that puts their
es intensified operations rights at risk,” the organiza-
against El Salvador’s street tion said.
gangs Tuesday with mass The Inter-American Com-
arrests, the cordoning off mission on Human Rights
of neighborhoods and condemned measures that
house-by-house searches keep incarcerated gang
under a state of emergen- members inside their cells
cy that has raised concerns 24 hours a day and reduce
among some organizations their food to two meals a
it could open the door to day.
human rights abuses. “The measures implement-
Rather than back down ed in the prisons consti-
under growing criticism, tute policies of a repres-
President Nayib Bukele ap- sive nature that can result
peared ready to double in serious violations of the
down, announcing late humans rights of persons
Tuesday that he had asked deprived of liberty,” the
the president of the Con- commission said.
gress to convene lawmak- Stéphane Dujarric, spokes-
ers to give him more legal Soldiers man a checkpoint at the entrance to the Las Palmas Community, a neighborhood that man for United Nations
tools to take on gangs. is supposed to be under the control of Barrio 18 Gang in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, Secretary-General Anto-
The country’s relatively March 27, 2022. nio Guterres, said Tuesday
low homicide rate during Associated Press the Secretary General was
Bukele’s administration had passed Bukele’s state of Only two murders were cism. concerned with the sharp
been one of his most tout- emergency early Sunday confirmed Monday com- Opposition politicians and increase in gang killings
ed accomplishments. Even giving authorities broad lat- pared to 62 on Saturday. nongovernmental organi- and trusted that measures
while some raised doubts itude in making arrests and “I’ve been a victim of the zations say security forces taken by the government
about how it was obtained, extending jail time while gangs, I’ve paid them are going beyond even would be in line with inter-
the country had been living investigations are carried (extortion),” said Este- their newly enhanced national human rights law
in peace compared to ear- out. Attorney General Ro- ban Maravilla, who works powers. and standards.
lier periods of bloodshed. dolfo Delgado told state in transportation. “They Human Rights Watch said in Bukele responded via
That changed last week- television that in the past should lock them all up.” a statement Tuesday that Twitter that the organiza-
end when 89 people were two days nearly 1,500 al- Bukele enjoys extremely the government should tions criticizing his actions
killed in a four-day span, leged gang members were high popularity in El Salva- confront gang violence, now had done nothing to
compared to 79 in all of captured “without firing a dor, but some heavy hand- but while respecting rights. help El Salvador battle the
February. The Congress single shot.” ed tactics have faced criti- “Instead of protecting Sal- gangs.q

Bay of Bengal nations resolve to face calamities together

By KRISHAN FRANCIS investment, tourism and paksa, said “will no doubt
Associated Press technology, and offset be a significant step to-
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) economic losses caused by ward increasing this organi-
— An organization of sev- the COVID-19 pandemic. zation’s role, not just within
en Bay of Bengal nations “The developments in Eu- the region, but also as a
said its members must ur- rope in the last few weeks driving force from Asia in
gently use their geographi- have raised a question global affairs.”
cal advantage and other mark on the stability of the Leaders from Bangladesh,
resources to address their international order. Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri
post-pandemic vulner- In this context, it has be- Lanka and Thailand all ad-
abilities and collectively come important to make dressed the summit virtual-
strengthen their ability to BIMSTEC regional coop- ly. Myanmar’s foreign min-
face future calamities. eration more active,” In- ister, Wunna Maung Lwin,
In a declaration on the final dian Prime Minister Naren- represented his country re-
day of a three-day summit dra Modi said in a virtual motely. Foreign Ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
Wednesday, the group, speech. He also participated re- Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries, from
the Bay of Bengal Initiative “It has also become imper- motely in a meeting of for- left to right, Nepal’s Narayan Khadka, India’s Subrahmanyam
for Multi Sectoral Technical ative to give more priority eign ministers on Tuesday Jaishankar, Don Pramudwinai of Thailand, Gamini Lakshman
and Economic Corpora- to our regional security.” that was attended in per- Peiris of Sri Lanka, A.K. Abdul Momen of Bangladesh, Tandi
tion, said its members re- He said India will contribute son by the other ministers. Dorji of Bhutan and Myanmar’s Wunna Maung Lwin pose for
a photograph during their meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka,
solved to work together to $3 million to revive the BIM- Myanmar’s military leader Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
combat poverty, natural STEC Center for Weather has not been allowed to Associated Press
disasters, climate change, and Climate to enable co- participate in meetings of
pandemics and transna- operation in disaster man- another regional organi- opposition to its rule. technology transfer facility
tional crime. agement. zation, the Association of Officials and ministers of the and cooperation between
They also agreed to work The leaders also signed a Southeast Asian Nations, BIMSTEC member countries diplomatic academies.
toward food and energy BIMSTEC charter, which the following the army’s seizure also signed three agree- Thailand took over as BIM-
security and strengthen summit’s host, Sri Lankan of power in February 2021 ments on mutual legal assis- STEC’s chair nation for the
their links to increase trade, President Gotabaya Raja- and violent suppression of tance in criminal matters, a next two years.q